Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers has been called into the Ireland squad for tomorrow night's friendly with Oman and next Monday's World Cup qualifier in Serbia after David Forde opted to pull out.

Forde has decided to stay in England in order to keep his place with his new loan club, Portsmouth, with the League Two side engaged in club business over the weekend.Rogers has trained with the squad over the last year and was on the bench for the friendly with Holland in May.

O'Neill has spoken with Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny and wants to bring Rogers to Serbia as cover for Darren Randolph and Keiren Westwood if the League of Ireland champions agree.They have league fixtures with Bohemians on Friday and away in Sligo next Tuesday which would mean a hectic schedule for the 34-year-old.

The Ireland boss said that he wanted to bring some other members of Kenny's squad in to train with the group this week but their hectic schedule arising from European commitments prevented him from being able to do so."They've carried the flag here and they've been brilliant," said O'Neill.

I was thinking the same thing when there was a big outcry last week that there were no LOI or specifically Dundalk players included in the squad announcement. All I could think of was our match schedule.

Now that i think back on it most of the outcry was in the national press by fans outside Dundalk. Perhaps they were just hoping the whole DLK squad would get sent to Serbia for a few weeks :-)

Martin O’Neill says he abandoned a plan to invite several Dundalk players to train with the Ireland squad due to the club’s hectic schedule just now but goalkeeper Gary Rogers has been added to the squad for the games against Oman and Serbia.Rogers will join up with the group and train with them for the rest of the week then return to Dundalk for the league game against Cork City on Friday before flying out to Belgrade on Saturday afternoon. The 34 year-old will get back from Serbia in the early hours of Tuesday morning and then rejoin Dundalk for their game in Sligo that evening. “That might be a problem for him,” said O’Neill, “but if Dundalk have no objections...”

It would be a bit two faced of O'Neill to be so supportive then insist on dragging Gary all the way to Belgrade for (probably) nothing. Third choice keeper is only there in case one of the other falls ill or picks up a knock any time up to and including the warmup.

I really thought oniell would have stuck Rogers on last night against Oman of all teams, He now will have to travel to Serbia and then be back for sligo on Tuesday night, and while am here poor turn out for Keane a chap from Dublin one of the best goal scorers in world football and never let his country down, there was more at Dundalk v Legia match,Wayne Rooney filled old Trafford with over 80,000 for his testimonial, felt really disappointed for the lad he deserved better.